KNOWLEDGE-BASED HAND TOOL SELECTION IN CONCURRENT DESIGN OF MECHANICAL SYSTEMS

Selection of hand tools for cost-effective assembly and maintenance of a mechanical system has a significant impact on its life-cycle cost. A knowledge-based automated procedure for the selection of hand tools needed to efficiently carry out fastening operations in a mechanical a ssembly is presented. The objective is to select a tool that is applic able to a particular fastening operation, minimizes time and cost of t he fastening operation, and satisfies accessibility requirements, and to provide design assistance to the design engineer. The role of the t ool selection procedure in the concurrent design of mechanical systems is described.